Little Pieces of the Sea
by MirageCharon
Summary: As a young girl who often cross-dressed, Jay's adventures throughout both her lives were never dull. Especially with such a mis-matched family, and the ever-widening network of people she meets. This is her story, in bits and pieces.
1. Encounter with Red Hair Pirates 1

Disclaimer: One Piece and all characters therein belong to Eiichiro Oda.

**Encounter with Red Hair Pirates**

* * *

Today was a day to be celebrated. Well, the meeting of friends was a joyous occasion after all. Especially since their friendship was strongly forged all the way back during the apprenticeship days. For the two captains with strong pirate crews, it was a long time since.

Josh's unexpected visit to the island Shanks' crew is currently residing on lead to a reunion of old friends. Of course there had been a tense moment where both crews eye each other with distrust when Josh's ships arrived. Which pirate would gladly invite strangers onto their turf without knowing their true intentions? But Josh came down his ship with only a small boy by his side, stated his name, and asked for their captain Shanks. Normally it would not have been that easy to gain audience with THE Red Hair pirate, but the strength of Josh's crew was renowned and would have attracted the attention of Shanks anyway. Not investigating any potential rival nearby would have been a fatal mistake.

One thing led to another, and the port currently housing two pirate crews became lively and the tavern nearly out of wine. After all the exchange courtesy had demanded, Josh stated his reason for seeking Shanks out. He said something about knowing the exact location of a piece of treasure that belonged to Gol D. Roger, their ex-captain, the man of legend. He offered to share half with Shanks, if only Shanks would lend him an extra crew's strength. They then retreated to a private room to discuss the details, Josh bringing the lad, and Shanks bringing his vice-captain Benn Beckman, one from each crew to witness as per the norm.

Or at least, that was what the Red Hair pirate crew saw.

"Come on Josh, stop stringing me along. You and I both know that is not the reason you came. Your crew is strong enough to deal with it, so you won't need me. What then, is the real reason you came back along the Grand Line to seek me out?" Shanks stated with a serious look on his face.

For Shanks knew that Josh was independent and rarely seek others out unexpectedly. Therefore, it had to be a serious problem for Josh to come personally, and unexpectedly.

Josh smiled. "Spot on as usual Shanks. I need a favour. Well, it is true that I have located the exact position of the Medallion, which I am sure as your memory serves well enough, you will remember that it is the one that calls for the changes in weather. I have the crew strength to obtain it, but the only problem is that it is far too dangerous..."

"I don't believe you have ever considered anything 'dangerous' at all." Shanks interrupted, "So get on with it. Who is it dangerous to?"

"Why thank you!" Josh grinned, before jabbing his thumb at the lad standing ever so quietly behind him.

Shanks merely took one look, shook his head and said, "Alright then, how long until you return? And what's so special about this lad?"

"Around two weeks, if everything goes smoothly as planned. And..." Grinning wickedly, Josh pulled back the cap on the lad's head, and a waterfall of sleek black hair tumbled out. "She's not just _any_ lad on my ship. Shanks, meet Jay, my sister. She'll need special protection if I, _haha _die unexpectedly on this trip. Until Lena is able to send for her, I'll have to ask that you take care of her."

Shanks looked momentarily stunned as Jay did look no different from any young lad. After a quick exchange of looks with his vice-captain Benn, Shanks nodded.

Eying Shanks and Benn's exchange with suspicion, Jay stood her ground. One must not show fear to any other pirate. _That_ was something she learned from Josh, and learned well. Barely ten, she was tall, and innocently pretty, though her state of dress states otherwise. Which, though uncomplimentary, was necessary for her survival. Cross-dressing as a boy added an extra layer of protection in the pirate world.

"I trust that you can keep her identity secret from anyone else, with the exception of Benn?" Josh tilted his head to one side, and sent a quizzing look to Shanks. It was the final step to completing this...temporary exchange of guardianship.

"She will be well taken care of until you take her back." Shanks promised.

"Alright then. Jay, look after yourself, keep out of trouble. They are fair. Go to Shanks or Benn if you are in trouble when I am not around." Josh said.

"Benn, make arrangements and show Jay around. Josh, we'll be heading towards Jaya tomorrow and on the move for next week. You sure you can catch up?" Shanks stated calmly.

"It isn't that hard to find the famous Red Hair crew," Josh laughed.

"Now that we got this part done, are we still going back to our drinking contest?" Shanks grinned.

"Of course. I might just let you win for helping me with this favour."

Benn and Jay eyed each other. After putting her cap back, and ensuring everything looked as normal as any other lad, Josh had left with Shanks to return to their drinking contest. Hence leaving Jay and Benn alone, staring at each other.

"Alright then, come on. We'll go tour the ship first, so you don't get lost. It's emptier at night when we are in port, so there'll be less people to deal with." Benn sighed, turning to walk out.

"Can I call you Benn, Mr Beckman?" Jay asked softly, sensing that he was not too happy with this extra _assignment. _

Benn looked stunned at her question._ Pirates are hardly ever that polite. _

"Yeah okay. Jay, isn't it? Well, you be sure to stay around me or Shanks, so the other crew doesn't bother you. Your connection to Josh...," he left that part hanging in the air, "well, let's just say there may be hostility towards you, and some may even go as far to act it out. So stay close, and stay alert. Anything goes, you report to me or Shanks, savvy?"

"Savvy. I can take care of myself." Jay added, putting on a more disagreeing expression the minute she left the room with Benn. The rowdiness of in the tarvern was still going strong, and no one paid much attention to a sober Benn and a young lad passing through. Jay followed Benn out of the tavern, catching a look with Josh before stepping out.

Because the ship was crowded, the crew slept with many in a room. And that simply would not do, especially if Jay's secret was to be kept properly. There were private rooms of course, but as the crew tend to utilize them when the mood strikes, Jay could not be arranged to stay there. There was only one choice left. The captain's workroom.

Although Shanks still shared the same room as his oldest crew members, there were times he needed a private area to focus on planning the sails and strategies and politics, or just to relax. Hence he had a room for it, fully equipped with food and bed and toilet. It was known as the captain's workroom, as he did not want to be disturbed while in it. For that reason alone, Benn hesitated. If Jay lived there...Well, who knew what changes needed to be made to Shanks' routine?

_What the hell...It would only be for two weeks. Captain ought to have thought of it when he assigned me this. I'll just clear it with him before she's in._

Benn brought Jay around the ship, showing her the main facilities such as the kitchen, the clinic, the washing area. Just when he was running out of introductions, thinking about how to make Jay go back to Josh so he would have a chance to clear her sleeping arrangements with Shanks, Jay spoke.

"I'll like to return to Josh now, and spend time with him and the crew. Is it okay for me to come back tomorrow after Josh goes off?"

Seeing the escape, Benn grabbed it and brought her back to the tavern, where she whispered her thanks and disappeared like smoke to find her brother. Benn shook his head, rationalizing that Jay should be safe within her own crew, set off towards Shanks, who was now far along the drinking contest he started. True to his word, Josh had lost the drinking contest, and now nursing a headache in a corner. Shanks was still drinking and Benn knew he would not be sober enough to make rational decisions, and decided to take advantage of this to run his idea by Shanks, quietly.

Shanks nodded. And Benn just knew _that_ was because he probably could not think by himself and so relied on Benn's judgment. Well, his judgment was sound enough. Mostly.

Jay appeared next to Josh, and poured a small vial of clear liquid into him. Josh's headache cleared in a matter of seconds, and breathed in relief. Jay just shook her head in resignation at her brother's love of alcohol and hatred of hangovers. She then spent the night joking with her crew members and making last preparations on Josh's ship, checking various areas such as ship repairs and food, medicine and weaponry.

Josh's crew was small, but strong. Consisting of eight members, excluding Jay, no one would have paid extra attention if not for the fact that Josh's pirate crew had taken down many other strong pirates wanted by the marines. The nine-man crew known was known as the Lightning Pirates, for Josh had won the loyalty of Lightning Racoon, a legendary creature in the Grand Line who now followed him into every battle.

Actually, it began as a joke, for the crew used to run like lightning from danger. Josh saw no point in fighting needlessly. But the addition of the Lightning Racoon to the strength of the crew had sealed the name of Lightning Pirates on Josh's gang.

Jay was a liability on the ship, having no fixed post as every post on the ship would have to be filled in her absence every few years. As a result, she had the opportunity to learn any of the skills at her leisure, and she chose to learn about every post to help the others out. Josh's crew, being loyal to Josh, had accepted her as part of them initially, but her hard work and dedication to the ship had soon won her respect from them too.

Of course, being the protective brother, Josh had refrained anyone, including his crew mates initially, from going _too_ near Jay. The crew too, joined in the role of protectors soon after and caused quite a lot of embarrassment for Jay sometimes. But she loved them anyway, and they loved her too, almost like a real family.

But what she could not understand was why they did not want to bring her along this time. She was not a liability anymore, she had seen to that. But... well, as Josh had said, it was for her own good that she gets to know more pirate crews. Shanks crew, as Josh had said, was very strong, and it would do her well to maintain good connections with them.

Somehow Josh always sends her to other pirates, to mix around and learn she supposed. But little did Jay know that Josh had his own reasons. He knew that if he were to die unexpectedly, as was usual with pirates, she would not have anyone looking out for her besides Lena. He wanted to make sure that Jay would have amiable connections with the stronger pirate crews, so that none would purposely seek to harm her. He was counting on the slightest chance that other crews might seek to _protect_ her instead. He really meant for her to be well taken care of in any situations, being the over protective brother.

In any case, Josh was known to be the Link, for he had friendly relationships with most pirate crews, and his presence meant that the various pirate crews could be kept updated about the recent events of others. Well, _that_ was the reason Jay knew anyway. She too, sought to be like Josh, and Josh had high hopes of her succeeding him in future.

After making sure that everything was the best that she could managed, Jay went back to find her brother's crew. Searching through the whole tavern full of drunken bodies, Jay was unsurprised to find that none of them were there. They were extremely good drinkers in any case, and rarely left each other unguarded. She made her way down to the nearby cliff, where she knew Josh and crew were likely to hang out after a drink to help clear his head.

The cliff... there was another story behind that, but Jay had enough to think about for now. She just wanted to spend as much time with her brother's crew as possible, seeing that she would have to be alone very much for the next two weeks or so in a new crew. The only place she could really be herself was with Josh and his crew. Once out there with other pirates, she had to be mature, far more than her age demanded. Josh would be unable to help protect her then, and being mature sure helped with keeping herself unharmed.

Actually, Jay did not mind being injured in a battle. But what she did mind was that Josh would be very angry and attempt to seek revenge upon those who purposely hurt her. That would cause quite some conflict and really, Jay did not see the need for it. It would be far too damaging for her brother and his crew, and she loved them too much to cause them worry this way.

There was once when Josh had left her with another pirate crew and said crew had attempted to bully her. Thank goodness that Josh had returned two days after and Jay managed to defend herself until then, though covered with many injuries. The backwash of that incident...Well, after half the nearby village was demolished, some brave villager had managed to contact the Marines who came just in time to see how that pirate crew lost to Josh's crew, and somehow the bounty on Josh's crew went up. It was not even Josh's crew who had destroyed the place anyway, but well, Marines did not really care. So in order to keep everyone sane and healthy, Jay had learned that she had to keep herself safe.

"Keep yourself safe Jay, Shanks is fair, but the same can't be said of everyone on his crew. I know Shanks for a long time, you will be well taken care of. But do not trust any on his crew unless they earned it." Josh reminded Jay.

"Safe journey Josh. I'll miss you all." Jay said, hugging Josh and everyone else.

"Kid, don't forget to learn recipes from the chef this time!"

"Don't forget your training. No slacking!"

"Ah, do take a look at how the navigators of Red-Haired Shanks crew sail, and practise your skills and sharpen your instincts regarding this Grand Line."

"Enjoy yourself Jay, we certainly will enjoy the days without you bugging us."

"Give the poor kid a break, man."

"Take the chance to study the ship design from inside; we'll discuss more about ship building when I see you again."

"Take the gun and sword. Arm yourself well at all times."

"Stay safe and out of trouble, okay? We aren't anywhere near this time."

With these last words, Josh's crew patted Jay's head and went back to the ship.


	2. Encounter with Red Hair Pirates 2

Disclaimer: One Piece and all characters therein belong to Eiichiro Oda.

**Encounter with Red Hair Pirates**

* * *

Night gave way to day, and soon, Josh prepared to leave.

"Alright then mates, hoist the sails and set off!" Josh shouted.

"Aye, Captain!"

As the ship began to leave the port, Jay merely stood at the edge of the port and muttered bon voyage, while Shanks and Benn stood slightly behind her, all looking at the shrinking sail of the Lightning Pirates.

"Alright then, let's set off too! To the next island Jaya!" Shanks exclaimed.

"Aye Captain!" the crew chorused.

As requested by Benn, Jay stayed near him at all times, helping pack the food and supplies for the journey. Though there were many suspicious stares from the others, Jay did not come to any harm. Halfway through, Shanks took Jay with him and walked to the workroom, asking if it was alright to have Jay vacating the room when he needed to use it. Of course Jay agreed to do so, since she was imposing on them in the first place.

Shanks showed Jay where he and some crew members slept at night, so that she would be able to find them if she needed help. Her temporary room was just situated beside their room, but soundproofed and equipped with a private toilet. There were two exits from the room, one through Shanks and crew's room, and one to the corridor. There were plenty of books and maps, with a table and chair. The bed was large and comfortable.

"This room shall be your room for the next two weeks, unless I need to use it. Is it okay?" Shanks asked.

"Wow. Is there anything that I must not touch?" Jay asked, her eyes sparkling.

Looking at her reaction, Shanks said blandly. "Nope, everything that's top-secret had already been burnt to prevent leakage of information."

Jay's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! What about the maps and navigation diaries and, and..."

"Relax lad! I was joking, how can all that be burnt?" Shanks grinned.

It was good to have someone young and eager to learn onboard, and for him to tease. Jay reminded him of Luffy, somewhat. She was surprisingly cheerful, but only when she was alone with Shanks or Benn. Once outside, she became a quiet young lad, who kept to himself. The contrast had Shanks taken aback for awhile, but he soon got used to it.

Jay sweat dropped. "Man, don't joke about such things. Josh will be angry if he learned that I had caused so much trouble..."

"Well, lad, just make sure he doesn't know that you ARE sleeping here, in case he got the wrong idea. It is my room after all." Shanks grinned, teasing her about what Josh would do if he found her in such a compromising situation.

Jay stuck out her tongue, and replied cheekily. "It'll be you he's after, not me. So if anyone should worry, it's you."

Shanks laughed. "Aren't you in the least bit worried?"

"Why should I? I can protect myself!" Jay retorted, sticking out her tongue. "And besides, Josh trusts you, and if your word is enough assurance for him, it's good enough for me too." She commented offhandedly, still looking around in the room.

Shanks shook his head. _She's too trusting, and much too young. I'll have to keep an eye and a half out for her...Her strength is that of a child, and would not be a match for anyone, or any trouble that comes her way._

"Well then, find me after you're done to officially meet my important crew members. Besides me and Benn, you can talk to them. It's impossible not to interact, unless you plan to keep yourself jailed in this room until Josh is back."

"Would not be the first time anyway." Jay muttered, while Shanks raised an eyebrow. But she merely shook her head and gave a bland affirmative, effortlessly sliding back into her 'lad' role at the mention of other people.

Shanks almost smiled at Jay's knee-jerk reaction to the thought of being around other pirates that she did not trust. "Well, I assumed that you might at least want to know some people for daily stuff...training, eating...?"

Jay grinned. "I think knowing the captain ought to cover it all."

Shanks laughed. "Oh but I can't be with you at all times." And with a serious tone, he stated his rules on his ship. "I do not tolerate people who harm my crew or bring unnecessary trouble to us. That applies no matter who you are."

The amount of steel behind the words would have made a weaker being flinched. But Jay was from the Lightning Pirates, and she had seen her fair share of strong pirates.

"I do not seek to cause trouble for those who are willing to take me in. But I cannot guarantee that I will take all forms of insults passively, and should the need arise, I will not hesitate to fight back." Jay replied with as much coolness as she could muster. Sometimes it was these things that your life depended upon, and Jay had much practice at it already.

"Good, I expect no less." He apparently sounded satisfied with the declaration. "But should anything get out of hand, you must come to either me or Benn. I promised Josh to keep you safe, remember?" He grinned fondly.

Seeing that Shanks had lightened up again, Jay relaxed back into her cheery self. "Please, not another overprotective brother again. I barely get to have any fun." She complained, rolling her eyes.

Shanks grinned. "Don't think you are going to have a choice there, but we'll see how we'll manage. Talk to you later. You need to unpack and settle in, and I have already neglected my fair share of work today."

As he turned to exit the room, Jay said. "I'll go help Benn after I'm done here."

"Nah, stay here till Benn comes back. I don't want you getting lost or anything."

After Shanks left Jay to unpack her stuff, he informed the crew of the new lad Jay and gave specific instructions that Jay was not to be accosted at all times. Most of the crew seemed curious, but none was willing to defy their captain over a mild case of curiosity.

However, Shanks knew how volatile pirates are, and knew that there would be trouble whether Jay looked for it or not. Allowing a young new lad from another pirate crew free access on a pirate's ship was just asking for trouble, but Shanks was loathe against keeping Jay cooped up in a room. It was not fair, and besides, he just wanted Jay around to tease. It would be more fun for all of them this way.

Anticipating light trouble from this arrangement, he called his most trusted crew members aside for an impromptu meeting. Lucky Roo and Yasopp had guessed that it was about the new lad from the Lightning Pirates, but only Benn knew of the whole story. Shanks had planned to let his inner crew know of the situation on hand, about Jay being an apprentice on Josh's ship and he would be taking care of her. He would not tell them of Jay's...special situation, but he did declare that they would be protecting this lad from any harm while being onboard his pirate ship.

Although Shanks did not like keeping secrets from his most trusted crew, he had promised Josh earlier. Since he knew Josh rarely ask for promises and that he took them very seriously, Shanks knew that there was something else about Jay that Josh was not yet willing to share. Well, he did not question his friends, especially friends who had time and again helped each other out through life-threatening situations. Shanks would trust Josh with his life. And now, he would have to carry out on the trust Josh had in him.

Jay was looking through the navigation books, absorbing information like a sponge. She had explored the room, checking any loopholes in the structure. Apparently, the room was well equipped, and really very private. There were no peeking holes, no cracks in the walls...She wasn't totally sure, but she thought it was even soundproofed. And to think Shanks allowed her this room...Wow. He must really trust Josh to allow this arrangement. And the books! She might just be able to do something productive after all.

There was a knock on the door, which broke Jay from her train of thoughts. She quickly gathered her thoughts and checked her appearance to make sure that her cover was solid.

"Jay? It's Benn. Shanks wants you at the deck." A voice called from outside the door. Jay recognised the voice, and went to open the door. She was glad that Benn had come, but worried about meeting others who did not know her true identity. Of course nothing showed in her expression, which was now finely sculpted into a mask of indifference.

Benn nodded slightly at Jay, before leading her out to the deck. It was a wide open space, with many others bringing in things from land, busying themselves with preparations for moving off. Benn led the way, headed straight to where Shanks stood surrounded by several men.

Jay was sure they knew about the lad from Lightning Pirates onboard their ship by the appraising look in their eyes. Well, her mask of indifference was too strong to be challenged by just a few looks, despite the steel behind their eyes.

As they neared to the gang, Jay could detect the suspicion from almost everyone. Shanks smiled easily, and said, "Well mates, that's Jay, our guest."

Jay merely nodded. This was the best response in most situations, and gave way to a lot more options later. But clearly, this would not work here.

"Why Captain, he's certainly far more quiet than what you said." A round person munching on a chicken drumstick commented offhandedly.

"Well, give him some time to warm up to us. Not everyone's like Luffy you know." An untidy tall guy replied.

"Drop the mask Jay, there's no need to be so stern and proper here." Shanks told her. "I'm sure Josh won't mind if you enjoy yourself a little, seeing that anyone on board his ship will be too busy looking after him to actually enjoy sailing." He laughed at that.

Jay rolled her eyes. That was technically true, seeing that Josh was always causing all sorts of troubles for his nakama to handle on a daily basis. She would reserve her judgement on the other people, but innocent until proven guilty was a principle she used for people who had seen her real identity. Josh would never endanger her in any situation, and if there was any chance of a threat, Josh would not have given her identity away. It was guilty until proven innocent for others, however.

"So lad, you are an apprentice with the Lightning pirates?" The round guy with the drumstick asked. "Since you're here, we might as well put you to some work. What do you do?"

"Lucky," Benn intercepted with a small frown. "He's a guest."

"I guess it's up to him if he wants to. After all, we know as well as anyone that it's boring to have nothing to do sometimes." Shanks spoke after a minute of consideration. "What do you think, Jay?"

"I don't mind. If it's work, I can fulfil any post on the ship. But I mostly do odd jobs and learn from the others, sort of like an all rounded apprentice." Jay replied. "But, I'll need time of my own to do my training, if possible."

"If that's the case, I'll let Benn decide where to put you each day. Welcome to the Red Hair pirates ship." Shanks spoke with a wide smile and opened hands.

Jay nodded. "I'll be in your care."

The next few days, Jay and Benn had worked out a sort of schedule to abide. Each morning during breakfast, Jay would receive her posting and would continue to help out wherever until after lunch. She did the laundry, cooking and navigation most of the time. The lower ranking crew members treated her kindly, believing that the young lad came onboard as another new crew member as they were not being sober enough the night before to actually recognise that Jay came from the Lightning Pirates crew.

And after all, a young lad working as an apprentice on board of a pirate ship was something most of them could attest to, and they saw no reason to make it difficult for this one, just as Shanks and his crew did not make it difficult for them as well.

Afternoon would be the time to practise her swordplay, and physical training. It was also the time that most of the inner crew would train. Jay would always go to a corner and train, after Benn gave the okay sign.

Shanks would quietly watch her physical training, noting that the intensity was no less than average for any lad on his pirate ship. He marvelled inwardly that this young girl had the determination and will to go that far, and that of course Josh would be the one insisting that she knew how to fight. However, all the swordplay she showed was a single strike from above. She repeated only that, and her choice was training weapon was one that garnered much incredulous looks from his entire crew. She used a broomstick to train, which, while totally hilarious, was an effective weight and provided sufficient drag force to hone her strike.

She refused a proper blade when one of the lower crew members offered her one, saying that she was prone to actually injure herself in the process. Shanks laughed loudly when she said that, joined by his inner crew members who thought that it looked ridiculous as well. But that only made the lower crew members appalled at her lack of skills, but otherwise she gained little attention from that point onwards.

When Shanks went over to ask her, she quietly remarked that it was usually the only tool that she had access to while on other pirate ships without causing unwanted attention. After she told Josh, he tested the training value and found it to be rather efficient. The looking ridiculous part would naturally overshadow her true skills, making it seemed more realistic that she was just an amateur without skills.

Shanks shook his head in mirth, and for the most part, left her alone. Until Yasopp happened to chance upon her ridiculous training three days into their journey, and dragged her off to test if she had any sharp-shooting skills instead. He laughed and told her that if a pirate could not use a sword, he would use a gun. If he could not use a gun, he would excel in melee. But since Jay was lanky, he doubt that she would do melee well so he ought to at least teach her the basics of sharp-shooting.

Of course, at this point, Yasopp had no idea about Jay's capability, nor did he know that Jay was actually a girl. He actually wanted to brag about his achievements and Jay saw it as a good chance to learn, so she became an enthusiastic student. While it worked out well, Yasopp was surprised at her level of comprehension. Most of his understudies could not even grasp the idea of coordinates and force, but Jay had asked him mostly about his experience with different conditions and his idea of what would work best under each circumstances. It made Yasopp think of this lad fondly, even if Jay never did managed to shoot a proper target, no matter how easy it was.

Another three days later, Yasopp gave up. He was never a good teacher anyway, and Jay kept missing every single target. He handed her over to Benn with a tinge of regret, for Jay was doomed to be a melee combatant despite his grasp of sharp-shooting knowledge. Of course he did not know, but Jay was aiming at totally different things during training because she could not give away her actual skills.

Shanks watched on in amusement. He was glad that his inner crew got along well with Jay, but at the same time, it was amusing to watch how Jay joked around with them, retorting with smart comments and what-not whenever she felt like it. It was good that she did not feel constrained on his ship. She reminded him strongly of Luffy, only with less recklessness and a big chip of maturity on her shoulders.

There was something about her that Josh was hiding, something big. Looking at her now, no one would believe that she was a girl. Her mannerism and her postures had almost reached the peak of cross-dressing, that a lesser man would never be able to figure it out. However, there were traces of it being unnatural for her, subtle signals that she had yet to master it all. This all pointed to Jay being trained to act like that.

Shanks knew that there was no way Josh would train her to be like this unless something big was up. Josh was too doting a brother, and he would have let Alena kept her safe instead of risking her life out here as a pirate. Although Shanks did not have the honour of meeting Alena face to face, he knew of her from Josh, and knew that she would never consent to doing this to a child unless it was absolutely necessary.

The romance between Josh and Alena, between the pirate and the marine, was a top secret that only the closest people knew. Shanks only knew because Josh mentioned it a long time ago, and he just knew.

Before they took up their respective posts, the two were raised as siblings, and protecting each other was a given. They had depended and trusted each other since young, and were so in tune with each other it was scary. Could it be called romance, Shanks wondered, if both were already a family from the start?

If there were any passion, Shanks did not hear about it. But he knew, from the way Josh spoke, that there would be no other. Josh often spoke of his family when they were out at the sea, and Shanks knew how much he loved them. Between the two sisters, Josh would give up his life for Alena, but he would give up the world for Jay. The same applied to Alena, as far as Shanks knew. Above and beyond whatever feelings they had for each other, the first and foremost was to care for the little sister. That was a pact they made a long time ago before Josh first started piracy.

_A pact that would not sent the little girl out on the sea with a bunch of pirates._

Shanks knew something was up, but he would be contented to wait until Josh spoke of it himself. After all, he had his own adventures to live, and Josh had his own dreams to fulfil. If Josh asked, he would of course be willing to lend a hand as long as it did not affect his own crew. Shanks had a sneaking suspicion that leaving Jay here was part of Josh's plans, and whatever happened here would affect to what degree the Red-Haired Pirates would be involved.

Although he already knew in his heart that he would never be able to abandon Jay now that he actually met her.


End file.
